Hair Loss: Are Genetics to Blame? [vids]

Some hair loss is very much normal, we will all notice hair loss of about 50 to 100 hairs per day. An estimated 95% of all hair loss is pattern hair loss and is due to genetics, even if no one in your family is bald or balding. Baldness can skip a generation.

The following information was compiled to help you better understand your pattern hair loss and options for choosing the most suitable hair loss treatment.

Hair grows for a period of time, usually for 2 to 6 years, and then the hair follicles shed the hair and go into a resting stage for approximately 3 months, then a new hair growth cycle begins. It is normal to lose between 50 to 100 hairs per day from normal hair shedding.

Androgenetic alopecia is the scientific name for the genetic predisposition to pattern hairloss/baldness in both men and women. This genetic hair loss is called pattern baldness. Pattern hair loss in men is often referred to as male pattern baldness (MPB).

Androgenetic alopecia is the cause of over 95% of all pattern hair loss, including baldness in men and thinning hair in women. Pattern hair loss occurs in somewhat predictable stages, and is progressive.

Usually the earlier in life pattern hair loss begins the more advanced the hair loss pattern will ultimately become. Studies have shown that pattern baldness is increasingly evident and advanced as people age.